Change
by astridelta
Summary: SasuNaru; stress is all part of the job. As Hokage, you are responsible for the care of an entire country, and sometimes that weighs heavily. Naruto knows this all too well. Growing distant and cold, Sasuke wonders if there's anything he can do to save Naruto from himself.


_SasuNaru:_

_Change_

Sasuke had noticed Naruto had changed since he became Hokage.

Late nights were frequent, leaving their shared apartment dim and empty when he returned home from a mission.

The loud, boisterous blonde was but a mere memory, replaced by the hard and angry shell of a man he was now.

Venomous shouting and rage-induced arguments released the pent up stress and angst the blonde and raven had inside of themselves; forgotten were the playful and light-hearted jokes of the past.

Naruto refused any sort of physical contact, unless he himself initiated it. Love-making no longer felt like love, but instead more of a begrudging engagement to fulfill; it was rough and vicious, a, temporary, angry solution to a seemingly eternal angry problem. Naruto would disappear the mornings after these rare nightly occurrences. Sasuke often found blood stains on the bed-sheets.

The blonde's temper was volatile and unpredictable. One simply had to ask for instruction upon not hearing it correctly the first time for Naruto to erupt at the poor soul who had the misfortune to anger him past the breaking point. Those who had once enjoyed Naruto's company, and even respected him, now lived in fear of him, and went out of their way to avoid him if they could.

For even though Naruto had excellent control of the Kyuubi's chakra, anyone who crossed him in a way he did not approve of would face the wrath of the demonic entity inside of him.

The village was no longer a place of happiness and bright smiles and light. It was dark and grim, air heavy with the tension between the Hokage and his people. Even nature seemed to be weighed by the dark outlook of Konoha, grey clouds hanging low in the sky, little to no sunlight breaking through their thick overcast.

Sasuke had done little to nothing to help Naruto; how could he? The blonde was spiraling, falling out of touch and he couldn't reach him no matter how hard he tried.

He found himself loathing what Naruto was becoming.

* * *

Early morning in Konoha was met with harsh rainstorms. The dark clouds above unleashed their fury and pelted the damp earth below with painful precipitation that bit into one's skin and pinched.

Sasuke's eyes opened to the sight of the empty mattress next to him. His arm, draped over where a certain body should have been, lay free of the blankets and cold compared to the rest of his bare torso. A yawn escaped his lips as he sat up, back aching from sleeping in some unknown position for so long while he laid his arms over his lap.

The window of the small bedroom was open, letting the warm summer breeze and the pelting rain pervade the room and flutter through the dark blue curtains. The Uchiha stared out the window for a moment, his onyx eyes locked on the red-roofed Hokage Tower, where Naruto was bound to be at the moment, and he sighed, a pang of regret hitting his heart painfully.

Getting to his knees, he leaned forward enough such that he wouldn't fall off the bed, but so he could close his hands around the open window and shut it, rain biting his skin as he did so and leaving water dripping down his face. With another sigh, he brought his feet over the edge of the mattress and stood, running a damp hand through his hair and making his way to the door.

After months of waking to the sight of an empty kitchen, Sasuke had grown used to the silence, and made his way to the small corner where the appliances were and made himself a quick breakfast of oatmeal, cherry tomatoes, and an energy drink before returning to the bedroom and donning his ANBU uniform. The hawk mask in his grasp felt heavy as he stared at the vanity mirror over the dresser. Even he could see the gaunt expression in his eyes, the only feature of his face that broke rank of the typical stoic coldness he was world-reknowned for.

Turning away, he proceeded instead to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and tactfully avoided looking to his reflection before returning to the main room of the apartment. His eyes flicked briefly to a picture hanging on the wall, then quickly glanced away as he carefully brought his ANBU mask upward to cover his face, then leaving the apartment.

His slam of the door shook the picture of Naruto in his Hokage attire next to Sasuke, both wearing almost identical expressions of pride and happiness.

..:::|:::..

Sasuke always dreaded mission briefings. As one of the elite ANBU charged with protecting the Hokage, it was required he recieved his assignments directly from the very top. However, audiences with Naruto these days were less than pleasant, and almost always resulted in some table or desk being broken by either the offending party, or the Hokage himself.

The Uchiha took his time reaching the Tower, the rooftops under him being pelted with the relentless rain from above. He had taken care to channel his chakra around his body beforehand, evaporating the droplets before they had a chance to touch his frame. His feet left sizzling spots where he jogged, the water there conflicting with the heat he left behind.

But progress cannot be halted, and Sasuke soon found himself standing in the hallway outside of Naruto's office, fists clenched at his sides as he waited to be called in. He could hear quiet voices on the other side; years of training along with simply being around people had his ears searching for sound without him noticing, and as such he could easily pick out who was inside.

"Naru-...Hokage-sama. I know you want squad eleven back as soon as possible but it's just not-"

"I don't _care_, Sakura. If squad eleven has gone missing, _find them_. ANBU don't just evaporate."

An ANBU team had gone missing, it seemed. Sasuke glared despite himself when he heard Naruto's tone; he could hear Sakura's similar frustration in the soft gritting of her teeth.

"It's been eight days since squad eleven last sent a signal, Hokage-sama. They haven't released a distress call and there haven't been any unusual occurances in their patrol area. We have the Inuzuka Clan and the Hyuuga Clan trying to track them but they haven't found anything as of yet."

Sasuke heard a sigh of annoyance, followed by a hand slamming down on wood. "Then, look harder," he heard Naruto growl. Sakura's chakra flared slightly, presumably in anger. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"We're doing the best we can, Na-...Hokage-sama," Sakura's voice was strained. Footsteps sounded next.

"Maybe your best isn't enough then."

Naruto's voice nearly spat out at Sakura, and Sasuke could almost picture the scene taking place inside. Naruto glaring Sakura down, the smaller woman standing her ground but leaning away slightly as she did in arguments against the fuming Hokage. Her eyes would have been hard with barely restrained anger.

"Why are you so insistent this is my fault, Hokage-sama?" Sakura's voice grit out. Sasuke's eyes were locked on the door in front of him as he heard Naruto suck in a breath. "You're the one in charge of team movements. It's your responisibilty to keep track of who we send out and who returns," Naruto began, "but if you're too incompetent for the job, then maybe we should just find someone else to take your place."

"How dare you," Sakura hissed in return. Sasuke heard no reply but the sound of flesh striking flesh.

His hand was on the door handle before his mind even registered what his intentions were as he flung the door inward, a blur as he rushed inside and pulled Sakura away from Naruto. Her pink hair was obviously, almost painfully, unkempt, her ponytail sticking out every direction as it brushed Sasuke's face. His arms restrained her's behind her back with enough force that she wouldn't be able to escape, but attempting would also not break her bones.

From his vantage point, he could see the red mark Naruto's chakra had left on her cheek. The irritated spot ran all up her right cheekbone and ended at her temple, the skin already looking as though she was beginning to suffer the symptoms of a first-degree burn. Her green eyes were bright with anger as she glared at Naruto. Sasuke's eyes rose to stare at his partner.

Naruto looked completely calm, staring at the duo with uninterested azure eyes. His arms were crossed, his weight leaning back on one leg while his white Hokage cloak didn't even rustle as he breathed.

No-one dared speak a word in the tense room; yet Sasuke could feel the lightning just waiting to strike as soon as someone opened their mouth. Finally, he realized the others were waiting on him, Naruto's eyes on him; yet the blonde didn't seem to be focused on him. The stare sent unwanted shivers of dread down Sasuke's spine.

"...What is the meaning of this, Haruno-san," he grit past clenched teeth. Sakura shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable. "Nothing," she growled. "Just a meeting with Hokage-sama. That's all." Sasuke's eyes raised to try and meet Naruto's, waiting for an order. When no such thing came, he released the girl in his arms, who rubbed her own and glared at the ground.

Her head raised and her eyes met Sasuke's. Her grateful gaze was apparent to Sasuke before she looked away, out the windows past Naruto's shoulders. Naruto sighed before looking at the rosette. "You are dismissed, Sakura," he said heavily, turning his back and walking around his desk to sit in the swiveling chair. Sakura nodded tensely before exiting the room, clapping her hand briefly on Sasuke's shoulder as she did so.

Once the door was shut with a not-so-subtle slam, Naruto's eyes opened and locked on Sasuke. The Uchiha stared down at his dobe, waiting.

Naruto said nothing as the two stared at each other; Sasuke knew his face was hidden behind the ANBU mask, yet the blonde seemed to be searching for something in his expression, something he seemed unable to find.

Sasuke breathed deeply before exhaling. "That was completely uncalled for, you know," he said. Naruto blinked. "Was it?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "She refused to follow orders, and she went against me. I think I'm totally in the right."

"You slapped her," Sasuke said. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Could have done worse," the blonde muttered. Sasuke hated to admit that the other was right. "She's doing the best she can, as she said. Finding missing shinobi is never easy-"

"Her orders were to find squad eleven in ten days," Naruto interrupted. "That hasn't happened."

"You gave her an impossible time-frame to work with," Sasuke argued. "If she were as good of a shinobi as she claims to be, then they would have been found long before the dead-line," Naruto growled. "She isn't a tracker. Like she said, she has the best clans on that case."

Naruto growled; Sasuke took the hint, ableit begrudgingly, and shut up. Being submissive in arguments was a serious blow to his ego and self-image, but it made it all the much better in bed where he could pay Naruto in kind for the damage.

"You came for a mission, yeah?" Naruto then asked, changing the subject as he crossed his arms over the desk.

"...Yes," Sasuke ground out, fighting to keep his tone respectful. This may be his dobe, but he was also the Hokage. He had to show _some_ decency. Naruto glanced down at his desk, digging through piles of papers before pulling out a single manilla folder and handing it to the Uchiha.

"There are some rogue shinobi on the Fire Country's borders I want taken out," Naruto explained when Sasuke opened the folder to look inside of the contents. "All class-A shinobi led by a single class-S. I've sent for your team and you will leave today." Sasuke's eyes narrowed when he recognized the names on the sheet.

"Uzumaki Karin, Hozuki Suigetsu, Jugo," the raven read aloud. His eyes rose to meet Naruto's.

The blonde was watching him expectantly, gauging the ANBU's reaction. The raven, however, felt strangely empty. He knew this day would have to arrive eventually. Being the only Akatsuki member to return to their village (albeit back then, he had returned involuntarily) he would be the only one to know where the remaining members stood in skill.

"Is there a problem?" Naruto asked when Sasuke offered no further conversation. The raven stared down at the pictures of his former team members before lifting his left hand. He withdrew the mask from his face, staring at Naruto as he did so.

"Why me," the Uchiha asked flatly. "Put your mask back on," Naruto growled. "No. This isn't a conversation between Hokage and ANBU," Sasuke said firmly. "This is a conversation between you and me. Why send me to kill them when you know who they are." _Who they were to __me, _he added silently.

"Because you know more about them than anyone," Naruto replied smoothly, confirming part of Sasuke's suspicions. Yet he could sense Naruto wasn't telling the full truth. The blonde was shifting his hands often on the desktop, gaze locked on Sasuke as he did so with harsh intensity.

"You're as horrible a liar as always," Sasuke commented and lowered his arm, bringing the folder to his side. Naruto cocked his head to the side; Sasuke could see a small purple mark on the side of the other's neck and felt a small sense of guilt and satisfaction at the sight.

"What makes you think I'm lying," Naruto asked. His tone suggested that Sasuke should drop his pursuit of the subject. But after witnessing what had transpired between the Hokage and Sakura, once more watching his dobe lose himself, he wouldn't stand for it anymore.

A small thought crossed his mind that perhaps this is how Naruto felt when he watched Sasuke become consumed with revenge.

"You know," Sasuke said lowly. He took a step towards the desk as Naruto leveled a glare at him. "Sasuke," Naruto warned. "You want me to dispatch my old team to prove my loyalty. But not to Konoha or the Council," Sasuke said.

"I couldn't care less about either of those anyways. No, you want me to prove my loyalty to _you_."

Sasuke refused to let his emotions show as he realized Naruto's thought process with this assignment.

"You think I'm going to leave you to go back to them," he pressed. "You think I'm going to disappear again."

If looks could kill, Sasuke would have died hundreds of different ways by now at Naruto's eyes.

Naruto appeared to be struggling to keep his composure. His shoulders were shaking ever so slightly and his fingers were laced tightly together. Sasuke could hear the blonde's knuckles groaning in protest to the pressure.

He decided how far he could push the other until the blonde snapped.

"Perhaps I will, then," Sasuke said and then backed away from the desk. "Considering there's been nothing here for me." Naruto grit his teeth. "What...do you mean by that?" the Hokage asked. Sasuke chose not to react to the rising panic in the blonde's voice.

"There's nothing for me here anymore," Sasuke said. He would have regretted that statement if he didn't feel the amount of satisfaction that he did at Naruto's reaction.

The blonde seemed to crumble inward on himself; the aura of arrogance and anger that had surrounded him for months fell like an avalanche, deafening silence filling the room as Naruto stood so quickly the chair he had sat on spun rapidly.

"Are you _threatening_ me?" Naruto asked quietly. Sasuke slowly raised his mask, placing it back over his face. "No, _Hokage-sama_," the raven replied, scathingly addressing Naruto with the formal term. The blonde's azure eyes narrowed as Sasuke backed away further. "I don't want you to prove your loyalty to anyone," Naruto said. His tone was so filled with quiet terror that Sasuke could almost regret even bringing up the tense subject of this mission.

Almost, but not enough for him to say what he did next.

"Of course. Because anyone who goes against you is scorched to the point of immobilzation at your hand."

Naruto's hand clenched into a fist and slammed onto the desk in front of him. Papers scattered like startled birds and fluttered to the ground as the hard wood cracked under the force. Wind that hadn't been in the room moments previously suddenly picked up and swirled more of the papers into a tight vortex around the Hokage.

"Why do you say that?" Naruto asked, his voice strained yet struggling to remain calm. Sasuke's eyes flicked back to the purple bite mark on the blonde's neck. "Are you blind?" Sasuke asked incredulously. His voice was muffled slightly by the mask over his face, but he could still hear it through the rushing wind created by Naruto's chakra.

"Do you not recognize your actions? If someone says something you disagree with, you attack them. If their actions displease you, you punish them...you're..."

Sasuke sucked in a deep breath. "You aren't someone I recognize anymore," he said. Naruto visibly winced at the words, his shoulders shaking while the wind slowly died down. "You're vicious, cold-hearted. You're angry and stressed. You're everything I was before you brought me back," Sasuke said. He hadn't intended for this meeting to turn this way; he hadn't meant to confront Naruto about who he was becoming.

"You're changing. You're not who you used to be. And I don't know how to...fix you."

Sasuke approached Naruto, who was standing stone-stiff behind his desk, wide blue eyes locked on the approaching, masked figure. "You changed me for the better," Sasuke said, "but...I think being Hokage has changed you for the worse."

Sasuke reached out and, uncertainly, laid his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I know you, Naruto. And you aren't this," the Uchiha continued. Naruto stared into the holes of his mask. "You aren't angry..you aren't cold-hearted, you aren't vicious."

"Then what am I then," Naruto said quickly. His eyes looked pleading, painfully boring into Sasuke's gaze.

Sasuke sighed and, with his free hand, reached up and pulled his mask off his face, dropping both the head covering and the folder containing his mission to the ground. "You're...bright," he said. His voice hesitated slightly as he thought of what to say. "You're happy, and dumb, you're beautiful...and you're good. You're..."

Sasuke trailed off as he looked into Naruto's eyes. The bright blue of the other's irises drew him in; it was like before, when he had seen Naruto for the first time after the boy had brought him back to Konoha. His eyes were so expressive that it always surprised Sasuke how the blonde never noticed it.

Without warning to either party, Sasuke leaned forward and pressed his lips against Naruto's.

This kiss was different from the others that had occurred over the past months. Sasuke didn't feel enraged, or guilty; instead there was a relief that was very much welcomed. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he felt so complete with Naruto, who was practically melting against Sasuke's chest, threading his fingers through the raven's hair.

Eventually, however, they pulled apart. Sasuke kept his eyes closed for a few moments, focusing on his breathing and the beating of Naruto's heart and the gentle humming of his chakra. Once he opened his eyes, he found Naruto staring at him, his expression pained.

"Did I really hurt you so much?" the Hokage murmured. Sasuke leaned his head forward, pressing it against Naruto's. "To be fair, it wasn't just me," he replied. Naruto flinched.

"You have a chance to make it better now," Sasuke said softly. Naruto looked away; the Uchiha could see the blonde was conflicted. He had spent months consumed with whatever burdened him. Sasuke knew all too well how hard it was to let go of those troubles.

Sasuke wrapped his fingers around Naruto's chin, drawing the Hokage's head back forward for another kiss. When their lips parted, he stared into Naruto's eyes before speaking softly,

"You can change for the better."

* * *

I'm sorry if this seems random :/

I really wanted to write a one-shot where Naruto starts getting colder and angrier due to the stress of being Hokage and I didn't feel like writing the build-up for the whole SasuNaru part. And the ending is really random, so sorry!

My updating schedule is about to get even more sporadic as well, so please be patient with me on my stories...it may get to the point where I'm on a temporary hiatus, I'm not sure yet.

So yeah, that's all for now. Sorry for this crappy one-shot :P

-Astridelta 4/15/14


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